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like he couldn’t even quite keep everything straight. Greta and Elliott knew each other, sort of, or at least they had plenty in common. They’d both grown up in Rustvale, and they knew tons of the same people. They belonged to the same pack, though Elliott and Shane hadn’t gone to their first meeting yet, since it wasn’t for two more days.
    Shane didn’t have any of that. He didn’t know anyone in Rustvale besides Elliott, and this was the first time in his life he’d belonged to a pack. He’d grown up in the only wolf family in his part of rural Oregon, in a town without very many shifters. They hadn’t had a pack, so he didn’t entirely understand pack structure.
    Also, he’d already gotten into a fight with another wolf, one he assumed was part of the wolf pack. According to Elliott, if you lived in Rustvale and you were a wolf, you joined the pack. Being a wolf shifter and not joining up just wasn’t done , but Shane didn’t know how he’d feel about the whole “Obey the Alpha” thing.
    He was guessing that he wasn’t going to feel great about it, but he’d promised Elliott that he’d try.
    For that matter, he barely understood relationships, and felt like he was stumbling along in his own with Elliott, that he’d somehow lucked into this amazing man who put up with all his faults and still loved him.
    Therefore, he was making lamb chops with a red wine reduction sauce, asparagus glazed in lemon brown butter, and rosemary and parmesan stuffed mushrooms. He’d already made focaccia bread, and it was in the dining room next to a dipping sauce and a cheese selection, or at least it was if Elliott hadn’t eaten it all.
    For dessert, he’d gotten up early that morning to bake a cheesecake, staring at it in the oven before daybreak even came along, praying the bottom didn’t burn.
    Maybe I’m a little stressed about thi s , Shane thought, quickly taking stock of his situation. He sliced another lamb chop apart, and heard Greta’s voice at the door. His heart did a little flip in his chest.
    “This is a beautiful spot,” she said, still in the entryway. “I never realized that this house was even up here. You’re perfectly hidden from the road, but you’ve still got a great view.”
    “Yeah, I think we hit the jackpot,” said Elliott. “Here, come inside. Shane made appetizers. Can I get you anything to drink?”
    They walked into the kitchen, and Shane turned around.
    “Welcome to our house,” he said. “This is where the magic happens.”
    Did you really just say that?
    Greta laughed, her curls shaking a little.
    “It smells magical in here,” she said. “What is all this?”
    “Lamb, asparagus, stuffed mushrooms.”
    “And there’s cheesecake for dessert,” added Elliott.
    Keeping Elliott out of the cheesecake had been a chore. At one point, the other man had suggested slicing a centimeter from the top, so that they wouldn’t be able to tell they’d eaten some. Shane had threatened to padlock the fridge.
    Greta’s mouth dropped open.
    “Wow,” she said. “I can’t wait.”
    She looked down at a wooden box in her hands, then held it up.
    “I brought cocktails,” she said.
    “That’s cocktails?” asked Shane.
    “It was a gift,” she said. “And I’ve finally got the chance to use it. It’s an Old Fashioned kit. I think the idea is that, if you’re a fancy person, you get invited to all sort of soirees, and if you want to make your mark on society, you need to be able to craft the perfect Old-Fashioned at a moment’s notice.”
    “So you’ve been blazing through the upper echelons of Rustvale,” said Elliott.
    He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, looking totally at home and relaxed.
    “Well, most of the echelons of Rustvale strongly prefer Coors Light,” she said. “So this little kit has been unused so far. You guys want to try?”
    Elliott took boxes off the other half of the kitchen counter, walking a stack of them to a